[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 131 (Wednesday, October 18, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10708-S10709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REVEREND DR. BENNIE THAYER

 Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, it is with great sadness that I rise 
to note the recent passing of the Reverend Dr. Bennie Thayer. Dr. 
Thayer was an extraordinary and inspiring figure in the eyes of all who 
knew him, and I would like to take this opportunity to describe for the 
record just a few of his achievements and his many attributes.
  I have found it striking that the people who are now mourning Dr. 
Thayer's loss come from so many different backgrounds and walks of 
life. Clearly this was a man who touched many people in many different 
ways. Dr. Thayer was an ordained minister, the Senior Pastor at the 
United Methodist Church of the Redeemer in Temple Hills, Maryland. He 
also worked tirelessly to expand the political activities and economic 
opportunities for African Americans, both within his community and 
across the nation. His funeral last Saturday literally produced an 
overflow crowd--testimony to the high esteem in which he was held in 
religious communities, in political circles, and among many others.
  Reverend Thayer was also the President and the CEO of the National 
Association for the Self-Employed, and it was in this capacity that I 
had come to know him. Along with Senator John Breaux, Congressman Jim 
Kolbe and Congressman Charlie Stenholm, I co-chaired the CSIS National 
Commission on Retirement Policy. In the course of our work we took 
testimony from all sorts of groups--seniors' groups, youth advocacy 
groups, employer groups, and others--and it was through the gathering 
this testimony that my office first established regular contact with 
Reverend Thayer.
  Among those who worked in the area of Social Security reform, Dr. 
Thayer stood out for his passionate and unswerving dedication to his 
cause. He also stood out in every other respect as well. He was an 
impressive, imposing figure of a man, with a deep and sonorous voice 
that he used to tremendous effect. And he was always there to do 
whatever was necessary to advance the work in which he so deeply 
believed. In the rough and tumble world of Social Security politics, it 
is easy to become discouraged or demoralized, but Dr. Thayer was 
unfazed by any setback. Regardless of the short-term fortunes, he 
always kept his eye on the long-term horizon, and applied all of his 
considerable gifts and his hard work to achieving it.
  All of us who knew Dr. Thayer admired him deeply for his willingness 
to argue passionately for an unconventional position when he knew that 
he was right. What was striking about Dr. Thayer's oratorical style was 
that he always strove to appeal to the very best instincts in his 
listeners--never selfishness, never division, never despair--always 
hope, opportunity, advancement, responsibility, self-reliance, and 
giving all that one can. There's a poignant example of this in a recent 
speech that he gave in Nashville, Tennessee, ``The Power of Small 
Business for Wealth Creation in the Minority Community''--when he talks 
about why he felt that African Americans should support reform of the 
Social Security system. To quote from his words:
  ``First, African Americans tend to start working at a younger age 
than whites. So we pay taxes into the system for more years than 
whites. And second, African-Americans also have shorter life 
expectancies than whites. The average African-American male currently 
has a life expectancy of less than the retirement age of 65! So many 
African-Americans will spend their entire working lives paying taxes 
into Social Security. But then, they won't draw out a dime in 
retirement benefits. Or accumulate any wealth to pass along to their 
children, or other heirs.'' This is typical of his approach; noting not 
what was in it for him--but what kind of legacy was being left behind.
  The sad irony here is that Bennie himself died at the age of 61. When 
one heard Bennie speak those words, one didn't think that he was 
talking about himself. I think that everyone close to him assumed that 
he had come so far in life that he would beat the odds.
  And indeed Reverend Thayer had come very far from his birthplace in 
Pickens County, South Carolina. He was fully 36 when he received his 
bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, 54 when he received 
his master's in divinity, and 58 when he received his doctorate of 
divinity. His biography shows the mark of a man who was always 
striving, always working to create the next opportunity. But when you 
look carefully at the opportunities that he sought, they so frequently 
centered on creating new hopes for others--promoting economic 
opportunities with the National Association of the Self-Employed, 
spiritual guidance through his ministry, bequeathing wealth to our 
children and our grandchildren through reform of the Social

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Security system. This theme of striving to create a constructive and 
uplifting legacy ran throughout his life and throughout his work.
  Dr. Thayer was an extraordinary man who led an extraordinary life. He 
is already deeply missed.

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